Domaine Auguste Clape
Overview
Domaine Auguste Clape is the historic benchmark estate of Cornas, established by the legendary Auguste Clape and now run by his family. The domaine has been central to establishing Cornas as a world-class appellation. The Clape family’s Cornas is made in the properly structured, classical style — long maceration, aged in old oak — that produces wines needing decades to fully blossom. The estate’s Cornas is consistently one of the most ageworthy wines in the Northern Rhône.
Appellations
- Cornas
- Saint-Péray (also produced)
- Côtes-du-Rhône (also produced)
Key Wines
- Cornas — the flagship; all old vine Syrah from granite terroir; aged in old oak; needs 20–30+ years
Style Notes
The Clape Cornas is the textbook expression of the appellation at its most properly structured: granite-inflected, massive in youth, needing years to soften. The wines show pure black fruit, iron, graphite, and white pepper. Nothing is made for early drinking here. Even “younger” vintages are still youthful a decade after harvest. The estate represents the lineage of great traditional Cornas alongside Noël Verset and Thierry Allemand.
Tasting Notes (from VFTC #119)
- 2006 Cornas: Rated 95. “Still a young wine at age nineteen.” Deep, pure, extremely promising; “rock solid at the core.” “Will need plenty more cellaring to really blossom.” Drinking window: 2035–2100.
My Tastings
Producer Profile (JLL / drinkRhone.com)
Domaine Clape is described by John Livingstone-Learmonth as the reference point for Cornas — “STGT domaine.” The winemaking has always used whole bunches, with old oak small barrels of around 12 hectolitres for the raising. The wines express the depth and energy of Cornas’s granite base, with lithe fruit and sinewed tannins that come together only after years. The best vintages can live 30+ years: the 2015 will run into the 2050s, while the 2005 retains a tight mineral grip at 20+ years.
Key wines and vineyard holdings:
- Cornas — the flagship; whole bunch, old oak, one bottling since 2018 (October, two years post-harvest; the separate August bottling for the USA was suppressed)
- Cornas Renaissance — introduced 1997, from “young” vines between 15 and 30 years old; accessible earlier and about half the price
- Cotes du Rhone red — granite and galet stone soils at and near Saint-Péray; lives well, great value
- Vin de France “Vin des Amis” red — character and longevity
- Saint-Péray — mainly old vine 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne, raised 67% vat / 33% oak barrel; consistent, drinkable over 6-8 years; improved towards greater finesse under Olivier
Generational transition: Since ~2012, Olivier Clape has worked the soils more intensively than before, to benefit of vineyard health and fruit quality. His father Pierre-Marie Clape died in June 2025 after a short and severe cancer. Pierre-Marie was remembered as a selfless man who “always thought of others ahead of himself.”
Export markets: 1) USA, 2) Switzerland, 3) Great Britain.
Key Wines & Vintage Notes (JLL / drinkRhone.com)
Cornas
Whole bunch, old oak small barrels. One bottling since 2018 (October, two years post-harvest). Consistently ★★★★★+ in top years.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ★★★★(★)–★★★★★ | 2051-53 | Crunchy, spice, black cherry; promising pre-blend |
| 2023 | ★★★★(★)–★★★★★ | 2051-54 | Steady depth, plums, blackberries, graphite. “This is true Cornas” |
| 2022 | ★★★★★–★★★★★★ | 2052-54 | Multiple cask tastings, consistently stellar; stewed sun-kissed fruits, blue fruit |
| 2021 | ★★★★★ | 2049-53 | Live dark red fruiting, raspberry, spiced plums, violet, perfume |
| 2020 | ★★★★★–★★★★★★ | 2050-54 | Cassis liqueur, herbs, lead; pedigree linger. “Heroic” from Olivier |
| 2019 | ★★★★★ | 2052-56 | Southern tone, brooding, mystery, soaked cherries, black olives |
| 2018 | ★★★★★–★★★★★★ | 2047-49 | Soaked griottes, primrose, voluptuous; multi-cask tastings all top-flight |
Cornas Renaissance
From “young” vines 15-30 years old. Accessible earlier, about half the price.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ★★★★(★) | 2046-48 | ”A superior Renaissance”; may reach ★★★★(★) |
| 2023 | ★★★★ | 2043-50 | Black cherry, floral-rose airs, calm, with lift |
| 2021 | ★★★★(★) | 2044-47 | Peppered, waiting game; red berry at centre, peony flowers |
| 2020 | ★★★★ | 2044-48 | Inky depth, animal grunt, mulberry; joli juice |
Cotes du Rhone Domaine Clape Rouge
Granite and galet stone soils near Saint-Peray. Great value.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | — | 2039-41 | Bold; inner charge of blackberry, lamb stock |
| 2019 | — | 2041-43 | Roses, pepper-spice, raspberry; “joli” |
| 2018 | — | 2035-38 | Gourmand, broad; coulis of black cherry, Southern |
Saint-Peray
Mainly old vine 80% Marsanne, 20% Roussanne.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | 2032-33 | Lemon peel, apricot, cooked pear; fluent |
| 2023 | — | 2033-35 | Firm, table wax, hazelnut, dried apricot |
| 2021 | ★★★(★) | 2030-33 | Pear, apricot, table wax; neat |
Vintage Assessments (JLL Vintage Reports)
2024: Olivier Clape on the vintage: Coulure at flowering reduced crop from the start. Never really hot — 2-3 days of heat, then a storm. Vines were only at 11.5-12 degrees on August 22, with high acidity. A 4-5 day South Wind heat spike then accelerated ripening by 1.5 degrees in one week (not concentration — just accelerated ripening). Critically, Clape observes that prevailing wind patterns have reversed: “What we have now is one day of North Wind, and five days of South Wind, hence a greater Mediterranean influence.” Harvest started September 4, earlier than forecast, and rain of 50mm+ on September 5 and 8 didn’t impact the hillsides too much but diluted plain vineyards. The 2024 harvest was “a lot more attractive than 2023’s” — taking no chances on treatments after 2023’s experience.
2022: Cornas was JLL’s standout Northern appellation: “Certainly very successful pretty much across the board, the wines immediately likeable, spontaneous.” Saved by mid-August rain.
2021: Cornas degrees at 11.8-12.2; harvest finished October 11. Despite difficulties, Clape’s Cornas achieved five stars (“live dark red fruiting, raspberry, spiced plums, violet, perfume”). Renaissance also four-to-five stars. See 2021 Rhone Vintage.
2020: Cornas described as “tender, soft, gourmandise” in 2020. Clape’s Cornas rated five-to-six stars — “heroic” from Olivier. Mickael Bourg (neighbor) had most abundant crop in recent years (40 hl/ha). See 2020 Rhone Vintage.
2019: Cornas five stars (“southern tone, brooding, mystery, soaked cherries, black olives”). Cornas received no August rain, giving denser wines on a par with 2018 rather than the more fluid style at Côte-Rôtie. See 2019 Rhone Vintage.
2018: Cornas five-to-six stars (“soaked griottes, primrose, voluptuous; multi-cask tastings all top-flight”). JLL: “The best at Cornas are real rockers.” The hierarchy of terroirs was never stronger — noble sites like Clape’s prevailed against the extreme heat. See 2018 Rhone Vintage.
2014: Clape achieved maximum yield of 40 hl/ha despite complications. Pierre Clape: “The wines have fruit, gourmandise and a little depth. They are balanced and agreeable.” Crucially, Clape harvested before the devastating September 20 rains (100mm+). Hillside vineyards drained well despite the humid July. Cornas overall was the standout Northern appellation in 2014 — JLL recommends it over Côte-Rôtie. Renaissance five stars. See 2014 Rhone Vintage.
2013: JLL rates Cornas as very good. Clape’s yields were reduced by the difficult year. Wines suit both traditional and modern tastes — balance is often good. See 2013 Rhone Vintage.
2012: A “singing” vintage at Cornas where Syrah leans towards mature Pinot Noir — the “Pinoté” effect. JLL: The Clape Cornas “displayed Burgundian tendencies, their length stealthy and accomplished.” Relative weather stability and abundance meant no real drama. See 2012 Rhone Vintage.
2010: Six-star Cornas and five-star Renaissance. Rich wines with fresh tannins. Pierre Clape: Cornas was saved by the terroir — free-draining granite soils. JLL describes the vintage as perfectly balanced across the Northern Rhône. See 2010 Rhone Vintage.
2009: Five-star Cornas. A dense, concentrated vintage with polished tannins. See 2009 Rhone Vintage.
2016: Harmonious, classic vintage with charming open fruit and Burgundian amplification. Especially notable pure, accomplished fruit quality at Cornas. A welcome reprieve from the surrounding hot years. See 2016 Rhone Vintage.
2015: Clape’s 2015 Cornas will run into the 2050s per JLL’s assessment. Full-bodied, packed with content, complete from an unusually early stage. Structured tannins built for decades. See 2015 Rhone Vintage.
2008: Pierre Clape: summer rain was 600mm — equal to a normal winter’s fall. On September 3, 70-80mm fell in 90 minutes on the slopes. Nearby Tournon and St Jean-de-Muzols had even more rain on September 5. Crucially, no rain between September 6 and 28. Mildew was the main summer blight, plus oidium “if you were not vigilant.” Cornas rated ★★(★) — “wait till 2015” (drink 2023-25). See 2008 Rhone Vintage.
2005: Cornas shows wines of structure with fruit well evident. JLL notes Clape 1978 was more closed in its youth; winemaking standards are higher now, with greater refinement from destemming and better vigilance. A Mighty Year across the Northern Rhône, compared to 1978. See 2005 Rhone Vintage.
See also: 2022 Rhone Vintage, 2023 Rhone Vintage, 2024 Rhone Vintage
Sources
sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Sept-Oct 2025 #119.txt— Annual Rhône Report (John Gilman, October 2025)sources/articles/JLL/Domaine_Auguste_Clape.txt— Producer profile (John Livingstone-Learmonth, drinkRhone.com)sources/articles/JLL/rhone_wines_data.json— Wine-by-wine vintage notes (JLL / drinkRhone.com)sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— JLL vintage reports 2005-2024